See also:
Children’s Book Writing I
Middle Grade/Young Adult Books

Middle Grade/Young Adult Books is an Intensive, meaning it happens in a short time span (1 day in NYC, or 2 days on Zoom). The course includes a mixture of lectures and exercises. It’s open to writers of any level. Farther down, you can view a syllabus for this course.

As children grow and widen their experiences, they crave stories that challenge and excite them, meeting them where they are. The best middle grade and young adult novels tackle complex topics and truly inhabit the interior life of young people. These books can be life-changing for their readers.

Middle grade novels are for ages 8 to 12, encompassing such stories as Madeleine L’Engle’sA Wrinkle in Timeand Kate DiCamillo’sBecause of Winn-Dixie. Young adult novels are for ages 12 and up (into adulthood), encompassing such stories as John Green’sThe Fault in Our Starsand Tomi Adeyemi’sChildren of Blood and Bone.

Here you’ll explore fiction craft though the lens of MG and YA fiction and gain an understanding of what sets apart these unique segments of the book world.

About Middle Grade/Young Adult Books
Middle Grade/Young Adult Books

Everything was easy to understand and practical. The takeaway can easily be applied into my current work and has improved the way I'm working as an author.

Kristyn Levis

author

Upcoming Classes

Check back soon. You'll likely see options when we finish our next schedule.

Syllabus

This course gives an overview of the basics of writing middle grade and YA novels. Course components:
Brief lectures
Writing exercises

Topics:
The Lowdown on Middle Grade and YA Novels
Character
Plot
Point of View
Voice
Theme

Note: Content may vary among individual classes.